


In the Shadows

by Freedom_Shamrock



Series: MiraculousFluffMonth 2017 [8]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, LadyNoir - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 19:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11743737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: Fluffy one-shot shortly after the S.S. Ladynoir set sail.  Just a sweet evening patrol.





	In the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Miraculous Fluff month's Aug 8 prompt, new.

Ladybug strolled along the rooftop, certain she was in the vicinity of Chat.  She wasn't allowed to use her yo-yo to find him, and she'd seen him here just moments ago.  "Oh," she said, theatrically heavy with sadness.  "If only I knew where my kitty had gone."  She sighed.  "He's run off like some shameful alley cat.  Whoever am I going to feed these pastries to now?"

She almost missed the black hand reaching out from the deep shadows of a rooftop ventilation unit.  She caught just enough to know it was her partner, so she didn't squeal or struggle as he grasped her shoulders and pulled her into the darkness with him.  "Hello my Sweetie Bug," he murmured, settling her on his right thigh.

She giggled and lightly tapped his nose, not pushing away as she had in the past.  "There's my kitty!"

He leaned in to briefly press his forehead to hers, beaming at her.  "I promise, this Chat will not willingly leave your side."

She reached out to play with a lock of his hair that was particularly wild tonight.  "I know.  You're a sweet and loyal kitty."  She tucked the hair behind his ear, not caring that it wouldn't stay.  It was a thinly veiled excuse to touch him.  "You're a bit dangerous, though."

He straightened up, pulling the most innocent expression she'd ever seen.  Not even Manon could pull that one off.  Maybe Adrien could, but he'd never hauled it out.  "I'll have you know I am a purebred, highly trained--"

"Sword to my shield," she finished for him.  "I don't think you see it, and I tend to not notice, but… once in a while it's so obvious I can't miss it."  She smiled at him, pleased where anyone else would be alarmed.  Yes, he was incredibly dangerous, but he was also incredibly thoughtful, which made him her perfect partner.  "You're Chat Noir, after all.  You casually wield destruction."  She went back to playing with his hair.  "And you're getting so much better at that shadow shifting, or whatever it was that Fu's been teaching you.  I nearly didn't see you this time." 

He smirked.  "You're very perceptive," he said.  "But I wanted you to see me.  I didn't want you thinking there was someone else out here waiting to pounce on you."

Her eyes went wide.  "Omigod.  Do you mean you did it that way on purpose?  Could you hide, even from me now, if you wanted to?"

"Yeah."  He looked both pleased and bashful at the same time.  If she had night vision, she suspected she'd see pink in his cheeks.  "I tested it a few  nights back, and you didn't see me any of the times I did it."

She hugged him.  "You're amazing!"

"It comes really easy to me."  He shrugged, clearly trying to brush off the praise, though it just as clearly pleased him.  "It feels like an extension of me, you know?"

"That's because you're a natural," she pointed out.  She kissed his cheek, grinning when that made him squeeze her a bit tighter.  Though they had been partners and good friends for more than two years, this part, the romantic cuddling and touching was still new.  After a particularly embarrassing day, she'd had an epiphany.  Her inability to talk to Adrien ruled out any meaningful conversation between them.  It stemmed from an unhealthy, almost obsessive perception of him.  It was a poor basis for a relationship.  When Tikki asked her to compare Adrien to Chat, she saw what she hadn't before.  She and Chat talked about anything and everything, as long as it wouldn't betray their secret identities.  He cared for her without putting her so high on a pedestal that he couldn't reach her.  He was willing to call her on her crap, which though it was uncomfortable, was very important.  His silly flirting let her know how he felt without pressuring her into responding in kind.  She wished she'd realized it all before, but she supposed she hadn't been ready to face the truth.

She opened her bag of treats.  "I brought your favorites.  Plus some of that cheese bread you said Plagg liked last time."

"You're amazing," he said with a soft sigh.

"You just love me for my pastries," she accused, handing him a custard-filled eclair.

He let out an indignant noise.  "I would love you, even if you didn't feed me."  He leaned in to nuzzle her neck.  "But you feeding me, lets me know you feel the same."

"Hmmm.  Yeah."  She slipped her arm around his shoulders, which somehow felt both the same as it always had, yet more meaningful than it used to.  "So how long do you think it'll be before the Ladyblogger figures out we're really dating now?" she asked.

Chat thought a moment.  "Two weeks."  He took a bite of the eclair, letting out a happy moan as the taste filled his mouth.

That small thing, the fact that she could bring him a treat that was forbidden at home, and that he enjoyed it made her so happy.  "I expect a grand expose," she said.  "She'll probably have follow up bits trying to identify when it started."

"Yes," he agreed.  "There will be body language evaluations and post akuma hug analyses."

"Those are my favorites," Ladybug said with a giggle.  "Remember that time when she was convinced we were having a spat?"

His chuckle joined her mirth.  "But it was just that I was fighting an akuma's control and you were sore from an accident outside of the suit."  He sighed.  "That was awesome.  I can hardly wait."

**Author's Note:**

> 30 minute speed write.
> 
> This one feels stilted to me, but I was interrupted by a guest halfway through, so it could be just me.
> 
> I'm also over on tumblr, so feel free to stop by and visit if you'd like. My content is multi-fandom, with a lot of ML. http://freedom-shamrock.tumblr.com


End file.
